The Tide: Breakwater (Tide Series Book 2) (2 page)

A man with a dark complexion and short-cropped black hair stepped forward and offered his hand. “Dominic Holland and Meredith Webb, I presume.”

Dom and Meredith shook his hand in turn.

“I’m Commander Sergeant Major Jackson.” He held the door open and ushered them in. “Acting Commander Shepherd is in the middle of talks with Fort Bragg and told me to watch for you. Your comm specialist, Adam Galloway, is already here. Are we waiting on anyone else?”

“No, I don’t believe so.” Dom considered his crew members at the shelter. Renee had been attacked by a Skull and was still being given the chelation and antibiotic therapy that his medical team had claimed would eliminate the Oni Agent. Miguel and Hector had stayed with her and were helping the medical personnel as best they could with the other patients. And their pilot, Frank, was tending to their chopper for a return trip to the
Huntress
.

As Meredith followed Dom inside, the rattle of gunfire burst about two hundred yards away at another gate. It sounded far more substantial than the sporadic small arms fire that had thus far punctuated their time at the base.

Meredith paused at the entryway. “What the hell’s going on?”

Jackson held his radio up. “South gate, Command. What’s your status?”

Dom squinted at the scene as soldiers ran to the gate. The structure hadn’t yet been reinforced with the current construction efforts.

Static crackled over the radio, followed by a panicked voice. “Command, we’ve got contacts...breaking...overrun!”

“Shit.” Jackson stepped out and called to the soldiers working around the NEC. “Stop what you’re doing and head to the southern gates!”

Without delay, the men and women piled into the Humvees. The vehicles tore off across the grass between the buildings. Even from this distance, Dom could see Skulls climbing through the razor wire to get inside Detrick. The breach was only a few blocks from the gymnasium and fitness facility with the civilian shelter where Dom’s Hunters and family were. He grabbed his rifle. “Let’s get the hell down there!”

––––––––

D
om readjusted his grip on his rifle, anxious to get to the civilian shelter—and to his daughters.

“Private!” Jackson called into the interior corridor of the NEC. A lanky young man rushed to his side. “Let’s move!”

“Yes, sir!” The private sprinted toward a jeep across the lot. He hopped inside it, and the engine revved.

Jackson picked up one of the M16s sitting outside the NEC. He offered a second to Meredith, and she accepted it. She and Dom slid in the back of the vehicle. The private punched the accelerator, and they took off.

Ahead, soldiers retreated to the cover of buildings. More Skulls poured through the breached gate. Some, freshly turned, appeared no different from normal humans. Others exhibited all the outward symptoms Dom had seen on the IBSL: arms ended in long claws, gnarled skeletal protrusions burst from their shoulder blades, spikes jutted out from their joints, and bony cages formed around their chests. Horns graced a few of their heads like morbid crowns, and fins stuck out from the spines of others. Their voices carried up in a thunderous roar of snarls and guttural screams.

A single Skull led the pack, running low with its arms outstretched. Soldiers fired frantically at the monster, and bone fragments chipped off from its organic body armor as it charged. A round finally caught the beast in its face. It crumpled forward and slid across the grass. Others jumped over its body, eager to take its place and lead the hunt.

Dom eyed the commissary near the Provost Marshall’s office. The building was the only structure standing between the Skulls and the gym-turned-shelter. The beasts were closing in on it.

The jeep hit a rut, and the private struggled with the steering wheel. The vehicle bounced and twisted to the side, almost spilling Dom and Meredith. Dom tightened his grip around a rail, his knuckles turning white, and clenched his jaw. He kept his eyes on the surging wave of Skulls.

“Put us at their flank,” Jackson said.

Already, more soldiers were retreating to the Provost Marshall’s office. The Skulls continued to heave themselves over the gate. Some caught their legs or arms in the razor wire surrounding the entrance, but they lashed forward relentlessly. Their flesh tore and peeled as they persisted, and soon they flopped onto the grass within the fort.

“What the hell set off this attack?” Meredith asked as the jeep skidded to a stop.

“Don’t know,” Dom said, jumping over the side. “All it takes is one of them to get riled up.” He turned to Jackson as the man leapt out. “You need to make sure your men understand that, Sergeant Major. Staying out of sight is key to survival.”

“Our people are aware,” Jackson said. “And when we kick these bastards out of here again, I’ll make sure every goddamn enlisted and civvy behind our walls understands how serious this shit is.”

Dom started to sprint off, and Meredith trailed behind. Jackson ran, cradling his rifle. The private lugged an M240 machine gun from the back of the jeep and followed. They slid to a stop along the side of a road behind a line of trees. The Skulls were running parallel to the street, and the brunt of Fort Detrick’s defenses was firing on the creatures from the Provost Marshall’s office, which kept the Skulls’ attention away from Dom’s group. A dozen or so men and women took positions between vehicles in the office’s parking lot and let loose a vicious barrage of gunfire.

“Get ready!” Jackson ordered as he shouldered his M16.

The private dropped to a prone position and sighted up the M240 mounted on its bipod. He pressed its stock into his shoulder.

Dom traced his muzzle over the running Skulls. He kept a bead on one built like a linebacker with wide shoulders covered in yellowed plates. Its hands ended in stubby claws, and crooked spikes tore through the remnants of a suit jacket flapping around the creature’s body.

“Open fire!” Jackson bellowed.

The bark of the M240’s fire drowned out the blasts from the other three rifles. Dirt and grass flew up in chunks around the Skulls as the private followed them with the machine gun. The recoil of Dom’s rifle sent shockwaves through his shoulder while he poured round after round at the beasts. He took down the linebacker and then half a dozen other Skulls, but the number was paltry compared to the mass of creatures leaping over the fresh corpses with only one thing on their mind: Kill.

The majority of the Skulls still churned forward toward the Provost Marshall’s office. But two, attracted by the new source of gunfire, turned and sprinted at Dom. He readjusted his aim and squeezed the trigger to take several measured shots. The two creatures spilled across the grass, blood already seeping from their cranial wounds.

The bark of the M240 continued. Rounds chewed into the Skulls’ flanks. Their lives ended by the machine gun’s stream of bullets, the creatures crashed to the ground, tripping up others. Skull corpses piled up along the lawn, and the flow of the beasts started to dissipate as the monsters dispersed. A few dozen still charged toward the soldiers entrenched near the gate, and another twenty or so of them turned, careening toward Dom, Meredith, Jackson, and the private.

But distance was on Dom’s side. At twenty yards, the Skulls went down under a fresh barrage of bullets. One Skull limped toward them, its face caught in a malicious snarl. Its leg had been devastated by machine-gun fire. Dom caught the creature’s face in his sights, pulled the trigger, and watched it fall.

He breathed a momentary sigh of relief. The rifle chatter grew more sporadic, and the distant yelling of the soldiers barricading the commissary and Provost’s office seemed to quiet. But the still air was soon rent anew by howls. A fresh surge of Skulls forced themselves through the razor wire and tumbled across the asphalt and grass.

“When is this going to end?” Meredith shouted and jammed a fresh magazine into her rifle.

Dom reloaded and resumed firing, the crack of his rifle the only answer he could offer.

Weapons bristled from the windows in the buildings as soldiers took shots at the Skulls. More men and women fell back toward the commissary. But some weren’t fast enough. A trio of Skulls broke through the wall of gunfire. Bullets smashed into the pavement and punched into the parked sedans and Humvees around them. Dom watched in horror. The beasts clawed and bit at the soldiers bravely defending their posts.

While the creatures rushed the buildings to the east, several dozen more rushed toward Dom’s position. The rattle of the M240 suddenly ceased.

“What the hell’s going on?” Jackson yelled.

Without the encumbering machine gun fire, the Skulls charged almost unhindered.

“Jam!” The private moved the safety forward, pulled up the cocking handle, and then returned it. He clicked the safety again before checking the feed pawl assembly then the feed tray. “Found it.”

He fixed the ammo belt as he cleared the jam and replaced the cover assembly. He pulled the cocking handle again and rode the bolt forward. The M240 burst to life, and a hail of bullets smashed against the oncoming Skulls.

But it was too late. They’d already gained too much ground.

“We’ve got to pull back,” Dom said.

Jackson cursed and stood, picking off the closest Skulls.

They retreated to the jeep. Dom threw himself in and helped Meredith after him. The private jumped into the driver’s seat, and the engine rumbled to life. The tires kicked up sod when they shot forward.

Jackson barked into his handheld radio. “All units are retreating from the breach. Warn everyone to stay indoors and out of sight. Repeat, everyone who is unarmed must stay indoors and out of sight.”

“Copy that,” another voice replied. Radio chatter accompanied the jeep’s growling engine. They curled onto another street.

From their vantage point, Dom could see the wave of Skulls crashing against the commissary. More Humvees tore down the street behind them and from the opposite side of the base, converging on the monsters. Several Skulls clambered around the building and threw themselves at the doors and windows.

The convoy of Humvees stopped along a ridge overlooking the commissary and fitness center. Soldiers spilled out of the vehicles and took up firing positions. Yet Dom feared these reinforcements wouldn’t be enough. The Skulls ignored the lead pouring down on them and continued their desperate search for a way into the building where fresh, defenseless prey awaited them.

“Where to?” The private asked.

Jackson surveyed the scene with his binos. The rattle of mounted machine guns and rifles echoed over the base. Even as Skulls fell, more seemed to take their place. A pair escaped the masses and climbed the side of the fitness center. They started heaving themselves into a skylight. A sharpshooter picked them off, but more scaled the building, whipped into a frenzy.

“The gymnasium,” Dom said. “If we can’t stop these things, we’ve got to get everyone the hell out of there.”

More Skulls climbed to the top of the fitness center. Bullets smashed into the side of the building, and another voice yelled over Jackson’s radio. “We’ve got friendlies in there. Watch your fire.”

The soldiers took more careful shots, and the gunfire slowed. Their caution allowed the Skulls to continue their assault almost unimpeded.

“There’s an entrance on the east side of the fitness center,” Jackson said. “I’ve got a visual of Skulls on top and around the south and west, but fewer contacts on the east. We make our move there.” He slapped the dash of the jeep. “Let’s go!”

“Yes, sir!” The private slammed the gas pedal. They jolted forward and wound between the other forces converging on the area. Jackson barked into the radio to call all available personnel carriers to position themselves behind the building.

As they drew closer to the fitness facility, the unmistakable shatter of breaking glass pierced the din.

Another voice broke over the radio. “Hostiles have broken a skylight. They’ve breached the shelter!”

––––––––

K
ara’s pulse raced as rapidly as the automatic gunfire outside. Two of the medics paused their work in the triage center. Their radios sprang to life with a bevy of voices. Even across the noisy room, Kara could hear the alarm and desperation in the orders transmitted across the radios. Three soldiers rushed to the doors of the gym. They clicked the heavy locks shut.

“What’s going on?” Sadie asked. Kara’s sister was sitting upright in her cot, Maggie at her feet. The dog cocked her head, her ears perked as if she too were asking the same question.

“I don’t know,” Kara said.

Seated on a neighboring cot, Nina Weaver hugged her children closer. Only a dozen soldiers were in the fitness facility, and they took positions near each of the four entrances. Several waited on the running track that overlooked the gym from the second floor.

The gunfire outside grew louder until the sound of bullets pinging against the side of the building reverberated in the large room. Whatever was happening, it was getting closer.

Kara’s blood ran cold when she heard scratching above. She stared at a skylight in the gymnasium’s roof. The silhouette of a clawed figure, spikes along its back, appeared against the glass, clawing at it until its head exploded and its body went slack.

Skulls
.

The creatures were in the base.

Sadie grabbed Kara’s arm. Her face had gone pale. “Don’t let them...”

Her voice trailed off. All around, wailing children clung to their parents, while the adults, exhausted and fearful, stared up at the roof.

Another creature crashed into the skylight above. Bullets tore into its flesh, and it lay still across the glass, its shadow looming across the people below.

“Come with me,” Kara said to her sister. Sadie nodded and grabbed Maggie’s collar. “Let’s find Miguel.”

Nina, her arms around her two children, got to her feet. “Do you see the Hunters?”

Nina and Kara stood on tiptoes. Kara tried to remain calm while they scanned the crowd. The last time she had seen the Hunters, they’d been working beside the nurses and medics to administer the chelation treatment Lauren had developed aboard the
Huntress
. The therapy seemed to be working on the people here, but it wouldn’t matter anymore if the Skulls were given free rein in the gym.